On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States – by a 5-4 ruling – held that the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 federal law that banned federal benefits for same-sex married couples, is unconstitutional.

Since the ruling was made, there’s been a flurry of conversations on the issue and we suspect that the issue will remain at the forefront of our national discourse for years to come.

Mary Hayes

For this week’s episode, we’re in conversation with Mary Hayes from South Carolina. Mary has been in a committed same-sex relationship for more than 31 years. We wanted to be in conversation with Mary to get her perspective on the recent ruling. How did she feel when she heard the ruling? Does it changes anything for her and her partner of 30 years? Since she calls South Carolina home – a state that does not recognize gay marriages or same-sex union – does this ruling make a difference in that state?

We appreciated Mary’s willingness to join us for this very personal conversation.

Mary Hayes is a successful executive and has spent the majority of her professional careers for several organization including John Deere and International Paper. You can learn more about her by visiting her LinkedIn profile.